Maya Angelou

Men - Poem by Maya Angelou

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When I was young, I used toWatch behind the curtainsAs men walked up and down the street. Wino men, old men.Young men sharp as mustard.See them. Men are alwaysGoing somewhere.They knew I was there. FifteenYears old and starving for them.Under my window, they would pauses,Their shoulders high like theBreasts of a young girl,Jacket tails slapping overThose behinds,Men.

One day they hold you in thePalms of their hands, gentle, as if youWere the last raw egg in the world. ThenThey tighten up. Just a little. TheFirst squeeze is nice. A quick hug.Soft into your defenselessness. A littleMore. The hurt begins. Wrench out aSmile that slides around the fear. When theAir disappears,Your mind pops, exploding fiercely, briefly,Like the head of a kitchen match. Shattered.It is your juiceThat runs down their legs. Staining their shoes.When the earth rights itself again,And taste tries to return to the tongue,Your body has slammed shut. Forever.No keys exist.

Then the window draws full uponYour mind. There, just beyondThe sway of curtains, men walk.Knowing something.Going someplace.But this time, I will simplyStand and watch.

Great poem yet very shocking. I didn't want it to be about rape, but it is a very good poem about that.

Also, I figured out why the verification code doesn't work at times. You need to ensure that the cursor is not still inside the text box. Click outside the text box and then click submit and it will work. Please spread this and thump it up as I know this annoys many people including myself. I hope this helps.
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Maya Angelou's tryst with reality is gripping and triggers strong flow of empathy from readers... Good reading even in this century! It is interesting how girlhood's pain finds universal appeal; Kamala Das in her Introduction portrays her disillusionment after her first lusty love.
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It's a beautiful poem but sad that it's about when she was raped when she was 8 years old. It's amazing how the most beautiful and soulful people have their talent born of sorrowful circumstances
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